Toy system for multi-player social play

Abstract

A toy system suitable for a social game experience, the toy system comprising a plurality of toy construction elements and a data processing system, the data processing system being configured to: a) store a data structure defining a task structure, in particular a hierarchical task structure, the task structure comprising a plurality of tasks, and the task structure defining dependencies between the plurality of tasks; wherein at least a subset of the tasks comprises constructing a respective toy construction assembly from a respective plurality of toy construction elements; b) select one or more tasks from the plurality of tasks and assign the selected one or more tasks to a respective one or more game participants selected from the plurality of game participants; wherein the selection and / or assignment of the one or more tasks is based at least in part on the dependencies between the plurality of tasks; c) present each game participant to whom a task has been assigned with the respective assigned task; d) receive user input from the one or more game participants indicating completion of the respective assigned task; e) repeat steps b) to d) until a game completion trigger condition is met.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a toy system for multiplayer social gaming activities. The toy system may be a toy building system comprising building elements with coupling members for detachably interconnecting the building elements. Background Technology

[0002] Toy systems, particularly toy building systems, have been known for decades. In particular, toy building systems incorporating modular toy components with coupling members for detachably interconnecting these components have become highly popular. Simple modular components are complemented by specialized toy components with mechanical or electronic functions to enhance the play experience. These functions include, for example, motors, switches, and lights.

[0003] Recently, a toy system that combines physical toy building blocks with computer-generated experiences has been proposed.

[0004] The goal is typically to involve multiple game participants in a social gaming experience to enhance interaction and increase entertainment value.

[0005] There is also a desire to achieve a tight integration between the physical toys of the toy system and the computer-generated game experience.

[0006] There is also a desire to provide a toy system that facilitates play across multiple age groups and / or mixed groups of play participants.

[0007] There is also a desire to provide a toy system suitable for children and / or other user groups without requiring detailed knowledge of programming techniques, control systems, etc.

[0008] There is also a desire to enhance the educational and / or play value of toy systems.

[0009] At least some embodiments and other aspects of the toy systems disclosed herein attempt to address one or more of the aforementioned problems and / or other issues. Summary of the Invention

[0010] This document discloses embodiments of a toy system suitable for social gaming experiences. The toy system includes multiple toy building elements and a data processing system configured to:

[0011] a) A data structure that stores a defined task structure (in particular a hierarchical task structure) comprising multiple tasks and defining dependencies between the multiple tasks; wherein at least a subset of the tasks comprises constructing a corresponding toy building component from the corresponding multiple toy building elements;

[0012] b) Select one or more tasks from the plurality of tasks, and assign the selected one or more tasks to one or more corresponding game participants selected from the plurality of game participants; wherein the selection and / or assignment of the one or more tasks is based at least in part on the dependencies between the plurality of tasks;

[0013] c) Present the assigned task to each game participant who has already been assigned a task;

[0014] d) Receive user input from one or more game participants instructing them to complete the corresponding assigned task;

[0015] e) Repeat steps b) to d) until the game completion trigger condition is met.

[0016] Therefore, embodiments of the toy system disclosed herein provide a social game activity in which game participants can collaborate around building one or more physical toy building models, and optionally collaborate around interacting with one or more built toy building models. The toy system provides a game activity that includes a real-world physical activity of building one or more physical toy building elements. The game activity also includes a digital component implemented by a data processing system. The tasks are performed by game participants, and the multiple tasks include one or more physical building tasks in which one or more game participants build one or more toy building models. The toy building components can include one or more complete toy building models and / or partial models (i.e., partial toy building models subsequently completed by adding one or more additional toy building elements and / or one or more other partial models). Therefore, individual building tasks or sub-tasks can be assigned to corresponding game participants. For example, the building instructions for the toy building model can be divided into sub-sequences of building steps, and at least some tasks can include one of the sub-sequences of performing building steps.

[0017] In some embodiments, the data processing system is further configured to mark completed tasks in the task structure as "completed"; and task selection and assignment include selecting and assigning only tasks not marked as "completed". To this end, the data processing system may be configured to store task state attributes indicating the current state of a task, for example, as part of the task structure.

[0018] In some embodiments, the selection of a first task and its assignment to a first game participant is based at least in part on one or more selection criteria. These one or more selection criteria may be selected from:

[0019] -The age of the first game participant

[0020] - The skill level of the first game participant,

[0021] -Preferences of the first game participant

[0022] - The identity, type, and / or attributes of the avatars selected or assigned to game participants.

[0023] To this end, the data processing system can be configured to store corresponding user profiles of game participants, each user profile representing profile information such as age, skill level, and / or one or more user preferences.

[0024] In some embodiments, the data processing system is configured to:

[0025] - Identify at least one observable indicator that indicates the game behavior of the first game participant while performing one or more tasks;

[0026] - The subsequent task to be performed by the first game participant is selected based at least in part on at least one observable metric that has been determined.

[0027] Therefore, the system is able to "learn" how to select tasks and assign them to the appropriate game participants, adapting to the participants' skills and / or preferences.

[0028] In some embodiments, the observable metric is selected from:

[0029] - The time elapsed from when the task is presented to the first participant until the first participant receives user input instructing them to complete the selected task.

[0030] - Attributes indicating the usage pattern of task guidance provided by the data processing system through a user interface. Task guidance can be provided in the form of successive step-by-step instructions, allowing the user to be presented with the steps selected by the player. Attributes of the usage pattern may include the number of times the player moves backward in the step-by-step instructions, and the scale of the change in forward speed while executing the steps. Other instances of attributes may include other recorded user interface actions performed by the player while performing the assigned task.

[0031] In some embodiments, task selection and assignment may be based at least in part on user selection, for example, by game participants selecting tasks to be assigned to themselves and / or by game participants selecting tasks to be assigned to another game participant. For example, such selection may be an automatic selection among multiple tasks by a data processing system, based on game participant attributes, task dependencies, etc.

[0032] In some embodiments, assigning tasks to game participants includes marking tasks as "in progress" by a data processing system, and the selection and assignment of tasks includes selecting and assigning only tasks not marked as "in progress," and specifically only tasks that are neither marked as "in progress" nor "completed." To this end, each task in the task structure may have an associated state attribute indicating the task's current state, such as "not started," "in progress," and "completed."

[0033] In some embodiments, each of the plurality of tasks includes a construction step that interconnects the toy building elements with each other. However, it should be understood that some embodiments of the toy system may include tasks that include other steps or subtasks different from the construction step. In addition to the construction step, some tasks may also include such other subtasks. In some embodiments, some tasks may even be entirely non-construction tasks, i.e., they only contain subtask steps, not construction steps. Therefore, in such embodiments, only a subset of the plurality of tasks contains the construction step that interconnects the toy building elements with each other.

[0034] Instances of such other non-build subtasks may include one or more of the following subtasks:

[0035] - To produce narratives, songs, pictures and / or other tangible or intangible products, such as those involving one or more previously constructed toy building models;

[0036] - Perform game activities involving one or more previously built toy building models;

[0037] - Capture images or videos of one or more previously built toy building models, for example, using a digital camera on a mobile phone, tablet, or other electronic device;

[0038] - Upload digital representations of one or more previously built toy building models into the digital environment.

[0039] Presenting a task to game participants who have been assigned one can be done in a variety of ways. Specifically, the data processing system can display or otherwise present task instructions or guidance, explaining to game participants what task to perform, optionally including explanations or other guidance on how to perform the task. When the task is or includes a construction task for producing components for toy building elements, presenting the assigned task to game participants can include displaying or otherwise presenting construction instructions, such as a sequence of representations of corresponding construction steps, particularly graphical and / or animated representations. The data processing system can provide a user interface that allows game participants to view the sequence of representations at a user-selectable speed, for example by allowing game participants to move to subsequent representations in the sequence and / or revisit previous representations in the sequence. Alternatively, the construction instructions can be of another interactive type.

[0040] In some embodiments, the task dependency is configured to enforce a task execution order, wherein each of the plurality of tasks is not associated with any of the preceding tasks in the plurality of tasks, or is associated with one or more preceding tasks in the plurality of tasks; and task selection and assignment includes selecting and assigning only tasks that do not have any outstanding preceding tasks. Here, the term "preceding task" refers to a direct sequence, that is, a task that must be executed directly before the current task, with no intermediate tasks that must be executed between the preceding task and the current task. However, it should be understood that a preceding task itself may have other preceding tasks.

[0041] For example, some or even all tasks may result in tangible or intangible task outputs, and may require task outputs from preceding tasks as inputs to subsequent tasks, thereby enforcing a task execution order. Examples of task outputs include one or more of the following: a partial model of a toy building model; the toy building model itself; a digital representation, narrative, part of a narrative, song, part of a song, etc. It should be understood that some task outputs can only be used as inputs to a single subsequent task, while other types of task outputs can be used as inputs to multiple subsequent tasks. For example, a physical part model of a toy building model can only be used as direct input to a single subsequent building step, while a narrative, digital representation, or play activity of a toy building model can be used as input to one or more subsequent tasks.

[0042] The task structure can be represented as a tree structure of nodes and edges, where each edge connects two nodes, each node represents a task, and each edge represents a task dependency. These nodes are also called task nodes. Specifically, each edge can be a directed edge connecting a task node and its predecessor task node, thus indicating the predecessor task node representing the task represented by the task node. Nodes without any predecessor nodes can be represented as leaf nodes of the tree, while nodes without any successor nodes can be represented as root nodes.

[0043] In some embodiments, the plurality of tasks includes a plurality of interrelated building tasks, each interrelated building task representing a set, such as a sequence, of one or more building steps in a building process for constructing a toy building model. For example, one or more interrelated building tasks may include building individual part models of the toy building model, and / or adding additional toy building elements to previously built part models, and / or assembling two or more previously built part models to form a larger part model or to form the final toy building model. In such embodiments, each interrelated building task may not be a precursor to any subsequent task in the plurality of interrelated building tasks, or may be a precursor to one of the subsequent tasks in the plurality of interrelated building tasks. However, in the plurality of interrelated building tasks, each interrelated building task may have no, one, or more than one precursor task. Therefore, in such a social game activity, game participants can collaborate around building a toy building model, where individual building tasks or sub-tasks are assigned to corresponding game participants. For example, the building instructions for the toy building model can be divided into sub-sequences of building steps, and each interrelated building task includes a sub-sequence. At least some subsequences (e.g., all subsequences except the last one) can lead to corresponding partial models. After completing the partial models, they can be assembled into a complete toy building model in the final building step. Other instances of social building activities can include the construction of multiple toy building models, such as a city consisting of multiple buildings.

[0044] For many toy building models, it can be difficult to design them in a way that allows them to be assembled from partial models, with each partial model possessing similar complexity, such as in terms of the number or type of toy building elements included in the partial model, or in terms of the number or complexity of the building steps required to construct the partial model. Therefore, even with complex models and / or mixed groups of players, an entertaining experience can be provided when the selection and allocation of building steps are based on selection criteria that instruct the attributes of each player.

[0045] In some embodiments, each task may have one or more associated attributes. These attributes may be stored as part of the task structure. Each of the one or more attributes may be selected from:

[0046] - Indicates the target age group suitable for performing the task.

[0047] - The target skill level, indicating the skill level required to perform the task.

[0048] - Complexity parameters that indicate the complexity of a task, such as the number of subtasks and the target duration for executing the task.

[0049] - The type of task, such as a building task, a decorating task, a creative task (e.g., generating a narrative section involving one or more toy building models being built).

[0050] Therefore, task selection and assignment can be based on task attributes and / or the corresponding attributes and / or preferences of game participants. Specifically, the data processing system can be configured to select tasks for assignment to game participants such that the task attributes of the selected tasks match the user attributes of the game participants.

[0051] The data processing system can be configured to assign an avatar to each game participant. The avatar can be user-selected, or it can be assigned partially or fully automatically. Each avatar can have one or more associated avatar attributes, such as age group, skill level, one or more preference attributes, etc. The preference attributes can indicate a preference for certain types of tasks, such as construction tasks, creative tasks, etc.

[0052] The data processing system can update one or more avatar attributes, such as one or more preference attributes, skill levels, etc., in response to observed game behavior of relevant game participants associated with the avatar.

[0053] The game completion trigger condition may include one or more trigger conditions, such as trigger conditions selected from the following items:

[0054] - Instructs users who wish to end the game to enter...

[0055] - Elapsed time

[0056] - Complete all or a portion of the tasks mentioned in the multiple tasks.

[0057] - Complete the predetermined task among the multiple tasks.

[0058] - Achieve the predetermined game objective.

[0059] In some embodiments, the data processing system may be configured to assign game scores to one or more game participants, such as to one or more individual game participants or an entire group of game participants. The data processing system may calculate game scores based on the number of tasks performed by the game participant, the type of tasks (e.g., complexity), the time spent performing the tasks, and / or similar factors. Game scores may indicate the success level or grade of an individual game participant or a group of game participants. Game scores may be in-game currency, rankings, and / or similar forms. Game scores may then be used to determine a user's skill level and / or to upgrade a user's rank. Game scores may also be used to allow a user to unlock game features, such as new game experiences or new features. The data processing system may be configured to update one or more attributes associated with the game participant in response to the game score, such as attributes of the avatar associated with the game participant.

[0060] In some embodiments, assigning a first task to the first game participant may include:

[0061] - Identify one or more (especially all) of the preceding tasks of the first task;

[0062] - Provide information to one or more game participants (such as one or more game participants who have performed the one or more prerequisite tasks and / or a first game participant who has been assigned a first task) so that any task output of the one or more prerequisite tasks is available to the first game participant who has been assigned a current task.

[0063] In some embodiments, the data processing system may notify each game participant who has completed a prerequisite task assigned as a first task, so that the corresponding task output of the prerequisite task becomes available to the first game participant. This notification may be made, for example, by informing the game participant who has completed the prerequisite task of the first game participant's identity and / or other information that enables the game participant who has completed the prerequisite task to make the corresponding task output available to them. For example, this can be accomplished using the method disclosed in co-pending International Patent Application No. PCT / EP2020 / 063449, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0064] Alternatively, the data processing system may notify the first game participant, informing them which task outputs from the prerequisite task are required as inputs to the first task. The data processing system may also notify the first game participant, informing them which game participants have already performed the prerequisite task, or provide information enabling the first game participant to obtain the required task outputs from the prerequisite task.

[0065] In some embodiments, the social gaming experience includes populating a virtual game environment with virtual objects. Specifically, at least a first of the plurality of tasks may include constructing a toy building model from toy building elements, generating a digital representation of the constructed toy building model, and adding the digital representation to the virtual game environment. It should be understood that these steps may be part of a single task or may be divided into two or more tasks. Generating a digital representation may include capturing one or more images of the constructed toy building model and generating a digital representation from the captured one or more images, for example as described in WO 2015 / 185629. However, it should be understood that the data processing system may use any suitable mechanism to identify or recognize the constructed toy building model, such as through a suitable non-contact detection mechanism, such as based on radio frequency signals, optical detection, and / or another detection technique. Optical detection may include using image processing techniques to identify visible features of the toy building model, identifying tags or other visible codes applied to or contained in the toy building model, and / or similar operations. Other detection mechanisms may include detecting RFID tags contained in the toy building model via an RFID reader.

[0066] In some embodiments, the social gaming experience includes generating a physical gaming environment from a physical toy building model. Specifically, at least a first of the plurality of tasks may include building a toy building model from toy building elements and placing the built toy building model in the physical gaming environment, for example, relative to a previously built toy building model. It should be understood that these steps may be part of a single task or may be divided into two or more tasks.

[0067] In other embodiments, the social gaming experience includes filling a hybrid virtual-digital gaming environment. Specifically, at least a first of the plurality of tasks can be performed by a first game participant operating a first user device. The first task may include the first game participant constructing a first toy construction model from toy construction elements, placing the constructed first toy construction model in a first physical gaming environment, generating a first digital representation of the constructed first toy construction model using the first user device, and sharing the first digital representation with a second game participant's second user device.

[0068] For example, the first user device and the second user device can operate in a shared multiplayer game session. The first user device can be configured to capture video images of a first physical game environment containing a constructed first toy building model, and display the captured video images as a primary view of the first physical game environment. The second user device can be configured to display a secondary view of a scene corresponding to the first physical game environment from a second viewpoint. The secondary view of the scene can be a view of a virtual environment containing a first digital representation, or an augmented reality view of a second physical game environment enhanced with a first digital representation, such as as described in US 2020 / 0265646. Similarly, the first user device can display a live view of the first physical game environment enhanced with a second digital representation of a second toy building model. The second toy building model can be a toy building model constructed by a second or third game participant, for example, as part of a second task among multiple tasks. Therefore, the second or third game participant may have already generated a digital representation of the second toy building model using the second (or third) game participant's second (or third) user device and has already shared the second digital representation with the first user device for display in the augmented reality view of the first game environment. Therefore, multiple game participants can engage in social gaming activities without necessarily being in the same location. Instead, they can share digital representations of their creations and participate in multi-user augmented reality social gaming experiences. Sharing digital representations can be achieved by transferring them between participating user devices or by sharing information that allows the respective user devices to retrieve the digital representations, for example, from a repository of known or previously generated digital representations.

[0069] In some embodiments, the social gaming experience may include additional tasks, including virtual or physical gaming activities performed in a constructed virtual, augmented, or physical gaming environment.

[0070] The data processing system may include one or more user devices, such as multiple user devices operated by corresponding game participants. Each user device may include a processing unit, a user interface (including a display), and optional image capture devices. Therefore, each user device is adapted to receive input from game participants and provide user-perceptible output to them.

[0071] The data processing system may include multiple user devices, all operable to join a shared multiplayer social game session. According to some embodiments, one or more of the user devices are augmented reality (AR) devices configured to display a main view of a physical game environment enhanced with computer-generated content (e.g., a digital representation of a toy-building model constructed by other game participants). According to some embodiments, one or more of the user devices are virtual reality (VR) devices configured to display a computer-generated view of a virtual scene, such as a virtual scene corresponding to a first physical game environment, or a virtual replica of the first physical game environment.

[0072] Advantageously, in some embodiments, the user device can be one of a smartphone, tablet, head-mounted display, desktop computer, or laptop computer, each of which is appropriately programmed to enable or participate in a social gaming experience.

[0073] According to some embodiments, the first user equipment is configured to identify a first toy construction model of the constructed toy, for example, among a predetermined set of toy construction models. This can be done, for example, using the techniques disclosed in WO 2016 / 075081. Advantageously, a first digital representation is provided based on the identification, preferably as a digital representation of the identified toy construction model.

[0074] According to some embodiments, the user devices of the respective game participants are operable to communicate directly with each other in a shared multiplayer game session. According to some embodiments, the user devices of the respective game participants are operable to communicate via a host system in a shared multiplayer game session. The host system may be a networked computer configured to provide networked access to the multiplayer game environment for multiple user devices. The host system may be implemented as a remote and / or distributed system, such as a cloud-based data processing system. The host system may be configured to allow user devices to host multiplayer game sessions. The host system may store and execute game code. The host system may also store information related to the social gaming experience, such as task structure and information about the respective game participants, avatars, etc.

[0075] According to some embodiments, multiplayer game session processing may occur at one of the user devices and / or at a host system contained in or cooperating with the toy system to provide a multiplayer game environment.

[0076] For the purposes of this specification, a toy building model is a cohesive structure constructed from two or more toy building elements. A toy building element is a single cohesive element that cannot be non-destructively broken down into smaller toy building elements of a toy building system. A toy building model or toy building element may be part of a larger structure (e.g., a larger toy building model) while still being individually identifiable. A toy building model or element that is identifiable or recognizable by a user device in a captured image refers to a toy building model or element that is individually identifiable or recognizable, whether it is captured individually in the image or as part of a larger toy building model. For example, the user device may be configured to identify portions of a toy building model at different stages of construction. For example, if a wall built by a player becomes part of a larger building, the user device may be operable to identify that wall as a portion of the toy building model and the complete building as the complete toy building model.

[0077] This disclosure relates to various aspects, including toy systems, corresponding devices, systems, methods and / or products described above and below, each of which produces one or more benefits and advantages in conjunction with one or more other aspects, and each has one or more embodiments corresponding to the embodiments described in conjunction with one or more other aspects and / or disclosed in the appended claims.

[0078] Specifically, according to one aspect, this paper discloses a computer implementation method, and more particularly a method for implementing a social game experience, the method comprising:

[0079] a) A data structure that stores a defined task structure (in particular a hierarchical task structure) comprising multiple tasks and defining dependencies between the multiple tasks; wherein at least a subset of the tasks comprises constructing a corresponding toy building component from the corresponding multiple toy building elements;

[0080] b) Select one or more tasks from the plurality of tasks, and assign the selected one or more tasks to one or more corresponding game participants selected from the plurality of game participants; wherein the selection and / or assignment of the one or more tasks is based at least in part on the dependencies between the plurality of tasks;

[0081] c) Present the assigned task to each game participant who has already been assigned a task;

[0082] d) Receive user input from one or more game participants instructing them to complete the corresponding assigned task;

[0083] e) Repeat steps b) to d) until the game completion trigger condition is met.

[0084] In addition, a data processing system is provided, which is configured, for example, by appropriate program code stored on the data processing system to perform the steps of one or more computer-implemented methods explicitly described or implicitly disclosed herein.

[0085] In addition, a computer program product containing program code is provided, which, when executed on a data processing system, is adapted to cause the data processing system to perform the steps of one or more computer-implemented methods explicitly described or implicitly disclosed herein.

[0086] The computer program product can be provided as a computer-readable medium, such as a CD-ROM, DVD, optical disc, memory card, flash memory, magnetic storage device, floppy disk, hard disk, etc. In other embodiments, the computer program product can be provided as a downloadable software package, application program, etc., for example, provided on a network server for download via the Internet or other computer or communication networks. In particular, embodiments of the toy building kit may include toy building elements and installation instructions for installing the computer program product on a suitable data processing system. Attached Figure Description

[0087] Figures 1-3 show existing toy building elements.

[0088] Figure 4 An embodiment of the toy system disclosed herein is illustrated schematically.

[0089] Figure 5 An embodiment of the toy system disclosed herein is illustrated schematically.

[0090] Figure 6 The computer implementation process for achieving a social gaming experience is illustrated.

[0091] Figure 7 The operation of an example of a toy system is illustrated schematically.

[0092] Figure 8 The operation of another example of a toy system is illustrated schematically. Detailed Implementation

[0093] Various aspects and embodiments of the toy system disclosed herein will now be described with reference to a modular toy building system comprising toy building elements in the form of building blocks. However, the invention can be applied to other forms of toy building elements.

[0094] Figure 1 illustrates a toy building element having coupling posts on its top surface and a cavity extending from the bottom into the building blocks. The cavity has a central tube, and a coupling post on another building block can be received within the cavity via a frictional engagement method disclosed in US 3,005,282. Figures 2 and 3 illustrate other such prior art toy building elements. The toy building elements shown in the remaining figures have coupling members of this known type in the form of mating posts and cavities. However, other types of coupling members may be used in addition to the aforementioned posts and cavities, or alternatively, the posts and cavities may be replaced by other types of coupling members. The coupling posts are arranged in a square planar grid, i.e., defining orthogonal directions along which a series of coupling posts are arranged. The distance between adjacent coupling posts is uniform and equal in both directions. This arrangement or similar arrangement of coupling members located at coupling positions defining a regular planar grid allows toy building elements to interconnect with each other at a number of locations and orientations, especially at right angles relative to each other. The toy building elements shown in Figures 1-3 are passive, with no additional functions beyond mechanical model building, such as electromagnetic, electronic, or optical functions. However, some embodiments of toy building kits may also include active toy building elements configured to perform user-perceptible functions, such as emitting light, sound, or imparting movement.

[0095] Figure 4 An embodiment of the toy system disclosed herein is illustrated schematically. This toy system is suitable for social gaming activities. The toy system includes a data processing system 410 and multiple toy building blocks 420. Multiple game participants 430 can use this toy system to participate in social gaming activities.

[0096] exist Figure 4 In one example, the data processing system is described as a game console. However, in other embodiments, the data processing system 410 may be a personal computer, desktop computer, laptop computer, handheld computer (e.g., tablet computer, smartphone, etc.), handheld entertainment device, or any other suitable programmable computer. The data processing system 410 includes a processing unit 411 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)) and one or more data storage devices 412 (e.g., memory, hard disk, etc.).

[0097] The data processing system is connected to a display 414 and one or more user input devices 413, such as game controllers.

[0098] Display 414 is operatively coupled to data processing system 410. Data processing system 410 is configured to display game-related information on display 414, for example, in the form of a corresponding graphical representation. While the display... Figure 4The display is shown as a separate component, but it should be understood that the display can be integrated into the housing of the data processing system 410.

[0099] Input device 413 is operatively coupled to data processing system 410 and configured to receive user input from game participant 430. Figure 4 In this example, the input device is shown as a game controller. It should be understood that alternative examples of input devices include a keyboard, mouse, or other pointing devices. In some embodiments, such as Figure 4 As shown, the toy system includes an input device for each player 430; in other embodiments, two or more players may share the input device. Although the input device is... Figure 4 While shown as a separate component, it should be understood that the input device may be integrated into the data processing system 410 and / or the display 414, for example, in the form of a touchscreen on a tablet computer. It should be understood that the system may include additional peripheral devices, such as RFID readers, digital cameras, etc., which may be operatively coupled to, or integrated into, the data processing system 410.

[0100] Display 414 and the one or more input devices 413 may be operatively coupled to data processing system 410. For example, one or more of these devices may be coupled to data processing system 410 via a suitable wired or wireless input interface of data processing system 410. Examples of wired connections include wired connections via serial or parallel ports of data processing system (e.g., USB ports). Examples of wireless connections include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or other suitable wireless communication interfaces. Alternatively, one or all devices may be integrated into the data processing system. For example, data processing system 410 may include an integrated display and / or input devices. Specifically, tablet computers and smartphones typically include an integrated touchscreen that can operate as a display and input device.

[0101] Data storage device 412 stores computer programs thereon, such as applications (Apps) or other software applications. When executed by processing unit 411, the computer program is adapted to cause data processing system 410 to perform the digital portion of the social game experience. Data storage device 412 also stores game-related data, including task structure, data indicating multiple tasks, user data, data indicating the game experience status, user scores, etc. It should be understood that in some embodiments, data processing system 410 may be communicatively connected to a host system, for example via the Internet or another suitable computer network connection. Thus, at least a portion of the processing described herein can be performed by the host system. Alternatively, data processing system 410 may be communicatively connected to other data processing systems, such as those described herein. Figure 4The system shown is similar to a remote data processing system. Therefore, player participant 430 can participate in an online multiplayer social gaming experience alongside player participants operating another remote data processing system. For example, the social gaming experience may include generating and / or otherwise participating in a multiplayer online virtual world populated with virtual objects. The virtual objects may be generated based on a digital representation of a constructed toy building model, built by player participant 430 as part of the social gaming experience. Thus, in some embodiments, the host system may generate and simulate virtual environments, such as virtual worlds accessible to multiple player participants from their respective client computers. Player participants can use client computers executing appropriate procedures to identify the constructed toy building model and cause the client or host system to generate corresponding virtual objects. Various technologies can be used to identify the constructed toy building model. For example, the data processing system may include or be operatively coupled to an RFID reader, and one or more toy building elements of the toy building model may include RFID tags identifying the model. Alternatively, the data processing system may include or be operatively connected to a digital camera, and the data processing system may be configured to identify the toy building model based on captured images of the toy building model captured by the digital camera. The identification can be based on known object recognition techniques, optionally using visually identifiable labels. Furthermore, the data processing system can be configured to generate virtual objects based on digital representations of arbitrary toy construction models, i.e., without needing to identify the toy construction model as one of several known models. For this purpose, the data processing system may include a system for acquiring three-dimensional representations of the objects, such as those described in WO 2018 / 095789.

[0102] The host system can then add virtual objects to the virtual world and control the virtual objects within the virtual world.

[0103] The toy building element 420 can be of the type illustrated in conjunction with Figures 1-3 or another suitable type. It should be understood that the toy system can include any number of building elements. Figure 4 In this example, one of the toy building elements 420 has the shape of a block as illustrated in Figure 1, another building element has the shape of a human figure, and the other toy building elements have the shape of wheels. Each building element has coupling members (in this example, stakes and cavities) for connecting to one or more other toy building elements, thereby allowing game participants to build toy building models that include multiple building elements.

[0104] Figure 5Another embodiment of the toy system disclosed herein is illustrated schematically. This toy system is suitable for social gaming activities and includes a data processing system 510 and multiple toy building blocks 420. Multiple game participants 430 can participate in the social gaming activity. Figure 5 Toy system and Figure 4 Similar to the toy system, the only difference is that the data processing system 510 is a distributed data processing system that includes multiple user devices 511. Figure 5 In this example, each game participant 430 operates their own user device 511. However, it should be understood that in alternative embodiments, two or more game participants may share a user device.

[0105] User devices 511 are each operable to join a common multiplayer social gaming session. For example, each user device 511 may store a social gaming application that executes a social gaming digital game application. Examples of user devices include personal computers, desktop computers, laptop computers, handheld computers, tablet computers, game consoles, handheld entertainment devices, smartphones, or any other suitable programmable computer. Each user device may include a display, input devices, a processing unit, and a data storage device, for example, all of which are combined as shown in the image. Figure 4 As stated above.

[0106] The data processing system also includes a host system 512, and a user device 511 is communicatively connected to the host system 512, for example, via a suitable communication network 513, such as a local area network (e.g., a piconet or other self-organizing wireless network) or a wide area network (e.g., the Internet, cellular communication networks). The user device can connect to the host system via wired and / or wireless connections, for example using Bluetooth, WiFi, cellular telecommunications networks, and / or another suitable communication technology. Although Figure 5 The host system 512 is described as a computer distinct from the user equipment 511; however, it should be understood that in some embodiments, one of the user equipments may operate as a host system, particularly as both a host system and a user equipment. In other embodiments, the host system may be a remote host server, a cloud service, etc.

[0107] During operation, each user device 511 can execute a computer program, such as an application. The computer program may include or have access to a database. The database may store information related to one or more game activities. Specifically, for each game activity, the database may store a task structure thereon comprising multiple tasks and their dependencies. Each task may have associated task instructions (e.g., a representation of a toy building model) or a partial model to be built as part of the task. The representation may include building instructions, such as graphical, animated, and / or interactive building instructions. Each task may be associated with one or more task attributes, such as a target age range, target skill level, expected task duration, task type, etc. The task structure may be stored as an appropriate data structure, such as a tree structure.

[0108] The computer program can provide a user interface that allows a first game participant to operate a first user device 511 to select and initiate social game activities. For example, the first user device can establish a server process to operate as a host server for a game session. The first user device can establish the server process locally and execute it on the first user device. Alternatively, the first user device can communicate with a remote host system to enable the remote host system to establish a server process.

[0109] The server process initiates a selected game activity, including corresponding game-related information. This game-related information includes a task structure associated with the game experience, such as virtual build instructions for constructing toy building models. The build instructions are divided into multiple tasks, each task used to construct a corresponding partial model and / or assemble the constructed partial models into larger partial models or the final toy building model. The server process is also adapted to maintain the task structure during the game experience, for example, by maintaining state attributes associated with the corresponding tasks. All game participants' user devices can access the game-related information from the host server, for example, via a local network (e.g., Wi-Fi).

[0110] In some embodiments, the server process may initially estimate the completion time of each task, for example, based on the number of components and / or parts of the model to be assembled and an assumed average assembly speed. Alternatively, the estimated completion time may be predetermined and stored in advance as part of the task structure. The server process may determine the sequence of assembly steps on the "critical path" and estimate the expected completion time for completing the assembly.

[0111] Each game participant can use one of their user devices to run the corresponding application and join social game activities. The user device can provide a user interface that allows game participants to join game sessions and / or input or select user information. For example, a user can input their age, skill level, user preferences (e.g., preferences for technical tasks or decorations, preferences for assembling larger parts of a model, etc.), and so on. For example, a user can select an avatar based on user attributes or a previously selected avatar, or an avatar can be automatically assigned.

[0112] Based on the number of toy building elements and / or partial models to be assembled in a task, and based on the self-assessment of the game participants and / or other determined attributes of the game participants, the server process can estimate the respective completion time of each executable task.

[0113] The server process can then select a set of initial tasks to assign to the corresponding game participants. During the initial tasks, only the individual toy building blocks need to be assembled; that is, the output of previous assembly tasks does not need to be used as input for the initial tasks. The initial tasks can be represented as leaf nodes in a tree structure, i.e., without leading nodes.

[0114] The server process can then assign tasks to individual game participants. This assignment can be based on the task type, task attributes, and corresponding attributes of the game participants. For example, the server process can assign tasks based on user preferences for a specific age group, skill level, and / or task type. In one embodiment, the server process can assign tasks on the critical path to game participants with high skill levels; it can assign tasks involving a few assembly steps to game participants with low skill levels; or it can assign tasks involving only large toy building blocks to younger game participants. For example, the server process can select multiple recommended tasks for each user. The recommended tasks can be displayed on the respective user's device, and each game participant can select one of the recommended tasks, which is then assigned to them.

[0115] The server process marks each assigned task as "in progress" to avoid assigning the same task to multiple users.

[0116] The user device displays the toy building blocks required to complete the corresponding task, and may even display the corresponding building instructions. Therefore, each player can build a partial model and then assemble it into a larger toy building model. Subsequent tasks can therefore use the output of their respective preceding tasks as input. To this end, the user device operated by the player performing the subsequent task can display one or more necessary partial models already built in the corresponding preceding task. The user device can also display the name or avatar of the player who has performed the preceding task. The server process also enables the user device of the player who has performed the preceding task to provide partial models, for example, by handing them over to the player who has been assigned the corresponding subsequent task.

[0117] In some embodiments, the server process may monitor the actual completion time of each task and / or other game behaviors of each player, and automatically update the attributes of each player based on the observed behaviors. For example, the server process may automatically update skill levels based on actual completion time and / or based on observed interactions with interactive build instructions. Alternatively, the process may automatically adapt to user preferences based on a player's selection of a task from a set of recommended tasks.

[0118] In an alternative embodiment, game participants access an interactive website provided by the host system (e.g., via a standard web browser) without having to install their own applications on their respective user devices.

[0119] Figure 6 The toy system described herein (e.g.) is shown. Figure 4 A flowchart of an embodiment of the implementation process of a toy system (or 5).

[0120] In the initial step S1, the process initiates a game session and the corresponding data structures.

[0121] In step S2, multiple users join the game session, and the process generates corresponding user profiles, which include, for example, their skill level, age group, avatar, etc.

[0122] In step S3, the process determines whether the termination criteria for ending the game experience have been met. Examples of termination criteria may include one or more of the following: a predetermined time period has elapsed, completion of all tasks in the task structure, user input, etc. If the termination criteria have not been met, the process proceeds to step S4; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S10.

[0123] In step S4, the process determines whether tasks have been assigned to all users and whether the assigned tasks are still in progress. If there are users who are not currently executing tasks, the process proceeds to step S5; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S8.

[0124] In step S5, the process determines whether there are any unfinished tasks to be executed (i.e., unfinished tasks without any preceding tasks they depend on) or tasks whose preceding tasks have all been completed. Then, the process selects a task from the available tasks and assigns it to a user who is not currently handling a task. If there are no available tasks, or no task matching the user profile of a user waiting for a task, the process proceeds to step S8; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S6.

[0125] In step S6, the process assigns the selected task to a user waiting for a task and marks the assigned task as "in progress." In the subsequent step S7, the process presents the task to the game participants, including relevant information about task completion, such as building instructions, a list of building elements and / or partial models required for the task, and optionally information about which game participant has already built the required partial model. The process may also send a notification to any game participant who has built the partial model required for the current part, informing them to provide the corresponding partial model to the current game participant.

[0126] In the subsequent step S8, the process monitors the performance of the currently ongoing tasks. Specifically, the process monitors whether one or more tasks have been completed (e.g., based on user input). The process can monitor the time elapsed since the individual tasks were assigned. The process can even collect other indicators of user behavior, such as interaction patterns with interactive build instructions.

[0127] If the process determines that one of the tasks has been completed (e.g., based on user input), the process proceeds to step S9; otherwise, the process returns to step S4 to assign other tasks to game participants who may be waiting to be assigned tasks.

[0128] In step S9, when a task is reported as "completed," the process updates the task structure accordingly, i.e., by marking the task as "completed." The process may further evaluate the collected metrics and update the game participants' scores or even their attributes based on the observed metrics. The process then returns to step S3 to determine if the termination criteria have been met.

[0129] In step S10, when the termination criteria have been met, the process can calculate the final game score, for example, for the entire group and / or for individual game participants. The process can, for example, award prizes to the group and / or game participants based on observed task completion metrics, and update user profiles and / or user avatar profiles. The process can then be terminated. For example, the process can return to the main menu allowing selection of new game experiences.

[0130] Figure 7 The operation of an example of a toy system is illustrated schematically. This toy system is suitable for social game activities and includes a data processing system and multiple toy building blocks. Multiple game participants 430A and B can participate in the social game activity. Figure 7 Toy system and Figure 5 The toy system is similar, except that the data processing system comprises only a single user device 511, such as a smartphone or tablet, shared by game participants 430A and 430B. However, it should be understood that other embodiments of the toy system may include more than one user device, such as a combination of... Figure 5 As stated above.

[0131] exist Figure 7 In this example, the game participants have constructed a portion of toy building model 421 from multiple toy building elements. In this example, the portion of model 421 is a car without front wheels. However, it should be understood that other embodiments may include other types of toy building models. User device 511 executes an application that provides a user interface and performs a social gaming experience. Figure 7In this example, the application has assigned a task to game participant 430B. The assigned task includes adding wheel-shaped toy building blocks 422 to a partial model 421. To do this, the application displays instruction 745 on the display of user device 511, instructing game participant 430B to add the wheels 422 to the partial model 421. Simultaneously, the application instructs game participant 430A to provide the partial model 421 to game participant 430B to allow game participant 430B to add the missing wheels 422. In this example, the instructions are provided as a narrative, where each game participant has an associated avatar appearing in the narrative. Game participant 430A's avatar 741 represents a rally driver who wants to use car 744 to participate in a rally race. Game participant 430B's avatar 742 represents a car mechanic. Therefore, at the start of the game experience, each player may have already selected an avatar, or the application may have automatically assigned an avatar to the corresponding player, for example, based on the player's known user profile (e.g., including user information such as age, preferences, and building skill level). Each avatar can be associated with a corresponding skill level, preferences, etc. The application can then assign tasks to the avatars based on a predetermined narrative and / or tasks that match the skill level of the corresponding avatar. For example, player 430B, the mechanic avatar 742, may primarily receive assigned building steps for constructing toy car 421, or at least more complex building steps. Player 430A may receive assigned tasks involving game activities, such as driving toy car 744 or playing within a portion of the narrative. The application can be configured to provide instructions in narrative form; for example, rally driver avatar 741 tells the mechanic he needs off-road tires because he wants to drive in the mountains.

[0132] Figure 8 The operation of another example of a toy system is illustrated schematically. Figure 8 Examples and Figure 7 The similarity of this example lies in the fact that game participants 430A and 430B share user device 511, which executes the application providing the digital portion of the social gaming experience. The system also includes toy building elements already partially assembled into toy building model 421, although some of these elements 422 are still unassembled. Each game participant has an associated avatar 741, 742, and the application provides instructions related to the assigned task in the form of a narrative. In this example, the narrative relates to a police car 744 needing new tires 743, and the avatars represent Officer 742 and Mechanic 741.

[0133] In claims listing multiple means, several of these means may be implemented by the same hardware element, component, or item. Specific measures described in different dependent claims or illustrated in different embodiments do not imply that combinations of these measures cannot be advantageously used.

[0134] It should be emphasized that, when used in this specification, the term "comprising" and its grammatical variations mean the presence of the stated features, elements, steps, or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, steps, components, or groups thereof.

Claims

1. A toy system suitable for social gaming experiences, the toy system comprising multiple toy building elements and a data processing system configured to: a) A data structure that stores a defined task structure, which includes multiple tasks and defines the dependencies between the multiple tasks; At least a subset of the plurality of tasks includes constructing a corresponding toy construction component from the respective plurality of toy construction elements; b) Select one or more tasks from the plurality of tasks and assign the selected one or more tasks to one or more game participants selected from the plurality of game participants; wherein the selection and / or assignment of the one or more tasks is based at least in part on the dependencies between the plurality of tasks, and the selection and / or assignment of tasks includes selecting and assigning only tasks that do not have any incomplete prerequisite tasks; c) Present the assigned task to one or more game participants who have already been assigned a task; d) Receive user input from one or more game participants who have been assigned tasks, instructing them to complete the assigned tasks; e) Repeat steps b) to d) until the game completion trigger condition is met, wherein the game completion trigger condition is met in response to receiving the user input that indicates the completion of all or a predetermined portion of the plurality of tasks.

2. The toy system of claim 1, wherein the data processing system is further configured to mark completed tasks in the task structure as completed; and to select and assign only tasks that are not marked as completed.

3. The toy system of any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the selection of the first task and its assignment to the first player is based at least in part on one or more selection criteria selected from the following: -The age of the first game participant - The skill level of the first game participant, -Preferences of the first game participant The identity, type, and / or attributes of the avatars selected or assigned to game participants.

4. The toy system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the data processing system is configured to: - Identify at least one observable indicator that indicates the game behavior of the first game participant while performing one or more tasks; - The subsequent task to be performed by the first game participant is selected based at least in part on at least one observable metric that has been determined.

5. The toy system of claim 4, wherein the observable index is selected from: - The time elapsed from the moment the task is presented to the first player until the first player receives user input instructing them to complete the selected task; - An attribute that indicates the usage pattern of the task guidance provided by the data processing system through the user interface.

6. The toy system of any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein assigning tasks to game participants includes marking tasks as "in progress" by a data processing system, and the selection and assignment of tasks includes selecting and assigning only tasks that are not marked as "in progress".

7. The toy system of any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the data processing system is configured to present task instructions to the game participant.

8. The toy system of any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein at least one of the plurality of tasks includes generating a digital representation of the constructed toy model and embedding the generated digital representation into a virtual environment accessible to at least some game participants.

9. The toy system of claim 1, wherein the task structure is a hierarchical task structure.

10. The toy system of claim 6, wherein the selection and assignment of tasks includes selecting and assigning only tasks that are neither marked as "in progress" nor "completed".

11. The toy system of claim 7, wherein the task instruction is a construction instruction.

12. A computer-implemented method, comprising: a) A data structure that stores a defined task structure, which includes multiple tasks and defines the dependencies between the multiple tasks; At least a subset of the plurality of tasks includes constructing a corresponding toy construction component from the respective plurality of toy construction elements; b) Select one or more tasks from the plurality of tasks and assign the selected one or more tasks to one or more game participants selected from the plurality of game participants; wherein the selection and / or assignment of the one or more tasks is based at least in part on the dependencies between the plurality of tasks, and the selection and / or assignment of tasks includes selecting and assigning only tasks that do not have any incomplete prerequisite tasks; c) Present the assigned task to one or more game participants who have already been assigned a task; d) Receive user input from one or more game participants who have been assigned tasks, instructing them to complete the assigned tasks; e) Repeat steps b) to d) until the game completion trigger condition is met, wherein the game completion trigger condition is met in response to receiving the user input that indicates the completion of all or a predetermined portion of the plurality of tasks.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the task structure is a hierarchical task structure.

14. A computer program product comprising program code, which, when executed on a data processing system, is adapted to cause the data processing system to perform the steps of the computer-implemented method as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 13.

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